She asked for her check, and if they could throw her olives in a box for her. And after another minute, she was walking out the door with a guy — and she didn’t even know his name.
After walking outside, she reached out her hand. “I’m Taylor, by the way.”
“Hi Taylor. I’m Graham.”
Taylor noticed that Graham was just about an inch taller than her, which she liked. And she liked that he smiled a lot. “So, how long are you in town?”
He responded, “I have work for the next three days here. I just got in today.”
She thought about that. Today was Thursday. “So, you work on the weekends? Are you a performer?”
He looked at her, and then held out his hands. “Now, why would you assume that I perform?”
She took a moment to look him up and down. He was wearing a black vest over a colorful short sleeve button up shirt, and dark jeans. She thought maybe he was in a band, but then was unsure. Then a thought crossed her mind. “Oh my, you’re not a clown, are you?”
He laughed out loud. “That’s a good one. It’s not far off, I suppose. But, no, I can assure you that I am not a clown.”
She was laughing. “Do you want to know what I do?”
He was quiet for a moment, and then asked, “Does your work define you?”
She liked the question, and the seriousness with which he asked. “I would like to say no –”
The chirping of her phone began quietly, but then increased in volume. She apologized to Graham, and pulled out her phone. It was her boss in St. Paul. She whispered, “Sorry, got to take this.”
She pressed the talk button, and tried her friendliest voice. “Hey Johnny.”
She listened as Johnny told her that her assistant had just changed her flight to come home on Monday, and he reiterated how important of a client Grant Industries was. “You keep Tom happy, and that keeps us happy. Have a good weekend in Chicago!”
When Taylor hung up the phone, she was shaking with anger. She had stopped walking, and Graham had stood there with her, a few feet away to give her some privacy.
“Taylor, do you need to sit down?”
Taylor felt dizzy, and she nodded at Graham before her vision started going sideways and her chest tightened. She felt his arms around her, and she felt her entire body tense up for several moments.
Finally, she heard Graham gently say her name, as if he had said it several times already, and she started to relax.
His deep voice asked, “Taylor?”
She opened her eyes. She noticed that his arm was around her back, and he was holding her up. Leaning into him felt nice, so she laid her head on his shoulder. She whispered, “Thanks.”
He asked, “There’s a bench right over there, let’s walk over to it.”
She nodded, but didn’t move her feet.
He hesitated, but then asked, “Can I pick you up?”
She stared into his eyes, and nodded. But then she softly giggled. “I’m pitiful, aren’t I?”
She felt herself become weightless, and she continued looking into his eyes, as he looked ahead at where he was walking. She noticed a that his eyes were green with tiny carmel specs, like gold leaf foil floating in a deep green sea.
She caught herself biting her lip, enjoying the proximity as he walked.
~CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE CHAPTERS IN THIS STORY (SO FAR)~
Alexandra Dawson 